Spirit of Aloha | Features | March/April 2002

Orange County, Southern California's Adventure Center
By Bob Ecker

It's the home of world-famous beaches, amusement parks, theme parks, zoos, aquariums, museums and the little mission town that the swallows return to every year

Orange County, Calif., is best known for its sun, surf and its most famous resident, Mickey Mouse. Here on the south side of Los Angeles lies this vast series of sunny towns, mountains, beaches and communities that offer visitors a thousand days and nights of fun.
Disneyland, of course, is the No. 1 draw, and it's a delight for kids of all ages. The famous park has evolved into the Disneyland Resort, which includes the traditional Disneyland theme park and the new Disney's California Adventure, which celebrates "All Things Californian."

But there's more to Orange County than the Disneyland Resort. The county has grown into a vast landscape of cities and towns that offers visitors year-round, sophisticated entertainment. Orange County is bordered by Los Angeles County to the north and west, the Cleveland National Forest to the east, and beautiful San Diego County to the south. There was a time when Orange County was covered with orchards, then oil derricks, but today it stretches over miles of valuable real estate-and the best of it may be the beaches and seaside towns.

One of the most popular cities in Orange County, Huntington Beach, introduced surfing to Mainlanders in the 1920s and, in 1959, was the site of the first Mainland U.S. Surfing Championships. The traditional "surf culture" continues to this day, with numerous funky surf shops, stores and eateries. Other beaches worth visiting are Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, and the San Clemente and Corona Del Mar state beaches.

There are plenty of sophisticated coastal sights to experience in Orange County. The city of Laguna Beach is a swank, upscale community that wears its "art" on its sleeve. Gallery ogling, window shopping and fine dining are the main sports.

Newport Beach features elegant homes, sidewalk cafes and a magnificent harbor. Fishing boats and whale-watching excursions are available there or across the harbor on Balboa Island. At the far southern end of Newport Beach is an area called "The Wedge," where two powerful ocean currents conjoin to produce outstanding waves, to the delight of body surfers.

Knott's Berry Farm has expanded into the all-encompassing Knott's Resort, which includes six theme areas. Knott's Berry Farm was actually a berry farm, where original owner/farmer Walter Knott invented the boysenberry. He and his wife, Cordelia, enlarged the operation with a restaurant. Then, in 1940, Walter brought in an actual old ghost town to entertain diners. This was the world's first "theme park." Today, the resort includes Camp Snoopy, just for kids, and the Xcelerator, a fast and furious 1950s-themed roller coaster, which opens this May.

Soak City sits next door, and includes 13 acres of watery fun. Twenty-one surf-themed water rides give visitors a chance to cool off in the hot Southern California sun. Bring plenty of sun screen!

For visitors "waxing" nostalgic, The Movieland Wax Museum lies only a block away. This museum features more than 300 wax figures in a variety of recognizable shapes, colors and sizes.

Travelers looking for a higher-octane level of fun can check out SpeedZone, located about 25 minutes north of Disney- land, in the City of Industry. SpeedZone brings people into the action by providing four kinds of racing vehicles to drive around the track. There's also a well-equipped arcade where you can drop those quarters.

To the north, in Long Beach, lies the wonderful Aquarium of the Pacific. This new (opened in 1998) $117 million structure houses one of the greatest collections of Pacific sea life found anywhere. The permanent exhibitions feature waters off Southern California, the Northern Pacific and the Tropical Pacific. A kelp field, jellyfish, giant octopus, exotic coral and much more are on display.

The Queen Mary floating museum is also located in Long Beach. Built as a royal vessel back in 1934, this mammoth ship was instrumental in ferrying troops around the world during World War II. Today, it's a floating museum, restaurant and hotel.

The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana is nicknamed "The Amusement Park for Your Mind." This hands-on museum presents scientific concepts in small, chewable bites. Kids won't realize that they're learning with such fun activities as "The Science of Sport" and the "Shake Shack."

If you're heading farther south, try a visit to Legoland, in Carlsbad. This theme park, dedicated to the Lego toy, is an especially good fit for those with small children. More than 30 million Lego bricks are displayed in an incredible array of forms. The new "Technic Coaster" is fast fun and safe, designed for kids age 6 through 12.

The world-famous San Diego Zoo is a must-visit for travelers to Orange County and the San Diego area. The zoo, residing in Balboa Park, was founded in 1916, and features a stunning array of well-cared-for animals from around the globe. A trip here will keep kids and grownups entertained for hours. There are even night walks and excursions during the summer, when the hoots and howls of nocturnal animals can be heard.

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is affiliated with the San Diego Zoo, and offers visitors a different experience from the zoo. The Wild Animal Park contains large herds and flocks of nearly 400 species of animals. This 1,800-acre area lets scientists, as well as the general public, learn more about animal behaviors in a natural, open setting.

Another must-see when visiting San Diego is SeaWorld. World-famous for Shamu, the lovable killer whale, Sea- World offers a variety of entertaining and naturalistic fun for the whole family. The "Fools with Tools" show presents sea lions and otters performing downright funny antics, and "Wild Arctic" gives visitors a better understanding of the Arctic environment. "Shark Encounter" brings guests inside a gigantic aquarium full of menacing sharks. SeaWorld also offers a behind-the-scenes tour of animal care.

A place that has honest-to-goodness charm is San Juan Capistrano. The mission at the center of the little town is one of the oldest surviving buildings in California. Built in 1776 by Franciscan friar Junipero Serra, the mission is the site of the famed annual homecoming of the swallows. Every year, on March 19, thousands of swallows return to the old mission in Capistrano. They fly thousands of miles, from Argentina, to come back to the nests they left from the previous year. Presently the mission is undergoing a $20 million restoration, but is still open to the public.

There are also a number of old homes in the Los Rios District of San Juan Capistrano, some dating back to the 1790s. This is the oldest remaining neighborhood in Orange County and provides a glimpse of what things may have looked like in Old California.

The city of Orange is a quaint little town in the heart of Orange County. Voted the "Antique Capital of Southern California," Orange has a square mile of antique shops to browse through.
Orange County and nearby communities have a lot to offer. The sun, the beaches, the attractions and the people can't help but provide everything you need to have a good time.

Bob Ecker is a writer/photographer living in Napa, Calif. He contributes stories and photographs to publications worldwide.

Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach
567-590-3100
www.aquariumofthepacific.org

Discovery Science Center
Santa Ana
714-542-2823
www.discoverycube.org

Knott's Resort (Knott's Berry Farm)
Buena Park
714-220-5200
www.knotts.com

Legoland
Carlsbad
760-918-LEGO
www.legoland.com

THE Movieland Wax Museum
Buena Park
714-522-1155
www.movielandwaxmuseum.com

Queen Mary
Long Beach
562-435-3511
www.queenmary.com

San Diego Wild Animal Park
Escondido
760-747-8702
www.sandiegozoo.org

San Diego Zoo
San Diego
619-234-3153
www.sandiegozoo.org

SeaWorld
San Diego
619-226-3901, 800-380-3202
www.seaworld.com

SpeedZone
City of Industry
626-913-9663
www.speedzone.com

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